THE STRONG DEMAND for education and the readiness of many parents to pay for extra private tutorial lessons for their children has spawned a number of tutorial schools that train students for specific educational goals.
Tutorial schools hire teachers with varying levels of qualifications and experience to help students pass examinations that could lead to admission to prestigious schools or universities.
With hundreds of licensed tutorial schools, and many more believed to be operating outside the system, the competition to hire the best teachers is very keen indeed.
Joseph Li, lecturer and English language teaching consultant at the Cheer Up teaching facility in Prince Edward, said the school offers examination cram courses for Secondary 4 to Secondary 7 students.
In addition to analysing examination skills and techniques, the school covers teaching basics and advanced English grammar. 'These are the most sought-after courses, because they are closely aligned to the new examination syllabus,' Mr Li said.
At the request of students, Cheer Up has launched a series of super-cram courses. These three-month courses help students to hone their writing skills. The school has recruited experienced teachers with a PhD in English and others with more than 30 years of exam marking or editing experience. 'These teachers may seem over-qualified, but with their input we hope the students can learn a lot about writing and rewriting essays,' Mr Li said.
'Almost all Form 4 to Form 7 students want to improve their English language and writing skills along with their Hong Kong Certificate of Education Exam [HKCEE], so the demand for well-qualified, experienced tutorial teachers will remain strong.'